Vinicius Jr.’s impact at Real Madrid goes beyond the pitch

Five years have gone by since Vinicius Junior left Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo for Spanish giants Real Madrid. And in that half decade, the young winger has a claim to have changed football on both sides of the Atlantic.

His impact in Europe is undeniable. With 59 goals and 64 assists from 225 matches so far, Vinicius has established himself as one of the most potent attacking forces in the world, combining blistering pace with clever changes of rhythm and an ever-improving end product, both in terms of crosses and goals. He is a defender’s nightmare, and he tipped the balance Real’s way in the 2022 final of the Champions League, scoring the goal that beat Liverpool.

Back in Brazil, the “Vinicius effect” is less obvious but at least as profound. First, he has changed the rules of the transfer market. When Real agreed to pay around €45 million to sign a 16-year-old who had yet to play a senior game, it seemed like a wild overspend to compensate for missing out on previous wonderkids.

In hindsight, his transfer fee was a bargain. In the wake of his success, European clubs have been increasingly keen to acquire South American prospects as early as possible.

Vinicius’ old club have played this game as well as anyone. His advancement became a template that has brought undoubted success. When he turned 18 and left Flamengo in 2018, the club had won two national titles in the previous decade — the domestic cup in 2013 and a surprise league win four years earlier. Subsequently, they were crowned league champions in 2019 and 2020 as well as the Copa Libertadores winner in both 2019 and 2022.

Flamengo seem to be in the process of becoming the world’s biggest club outside Europe, and this has plenty to do with Vinicius. His transfer — and that of others such as Lucas Paqueta — brought in the funds to be invested in players who had not lived up to expectations in Europe but who, in the right conditions, could be match winners in Brazil.

Striker Gabriel Barbosa, signed from Internazionale, is the symbol of the club’s recent run of success, and without the revenue from the Vinicius deal, his acquisition would not have been possible.